The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Trust Is A Commodity

"We sell bread," a griffon with a scratchy voice drawled, standing behind a counter that was painstakingly made out of low-grade materials. "But after you see what the others are selling, let me tell you, you're going to regret not buying me out right now. You want quality, you gotta shop smart, you see what I'm sayin'?" He held out a long, thin loaf. "The price is just a quality guarantee."

Gerardo and Slipstream looked at each other, and then at the sign advertising one loaf for ten coins. Sunset had fallen, and in the growing shadows a modest number of griffons were slinking about through a plaza full of shops, perfecting the art form of haggling. Rock dominated the landscape of Griffonstone proper, befitting its name, and all the buildings were made from wood that looked like it had been cheaply recycled from some other project, possibly more than once.

"Ahem." Gunther beckoned with a feather for a coin... but not from them.

The merchant gave him a stink-eye. "What do I look like, a charity? Shove off, kid, I'm tryin' to cut a deal."

Gunther shrugged, then leaned back toward Gerardo, whispering loudly enough for the shopkeeper to hear. "If you're looking for more than a quick snack, bread will grow stale too quickly. Why don't we move along and look for raw ingredients instead?"

"Perhaps an equitable idea..." Gerardo lowered his headcrest and started to walk away, pretending absolutely nothing had happened.

"Hey!" The shopkeeper shook an angry, balled-up talon. "You have a beef with my business, you punk kid? What do you think you're doing?"

Gunther spun around sharply. "Well, perhaps they'd be willing to stay if you cut them a better deal." He held out a wing laden with five golden bits. "Fifty percent off. Take it or lose them forever..." His swishing tail tapped Gerardo's saddlebags, causing them to jingle with unspent gold.

"Grrr... I don't do... business with..." The shopkeeper banged his fist on the table, depositing a single loaf. "Fine!"

"See? That wasn't so bad." Gunther deposited his coins and swiped the bread, turning his back again on the merchant. He offered it to Gerardo. "Six bits. I profit a little for my effort, you still save forty percent, and you can't eat dry ingredients for a snack. Sound like a win to everyone?"

Slipstream's ears fell. "That's still far more expensive than where we got these..."

Gerardo weighed his saddlebags and frowned, a not insignificant portion of their wealth already siphoned off by their guide. "I'm afraid we're going to have to economize harder on our own pickings if we want to bring back a suitably large supply of food."

Gunther's headcrest fell slightly as he stared at them in thought... until suddenly a noise from the bread seller caught his attention. "No! I am done cutting deals for the day," the merchant was angrily telling a thin griffonness with heavy eye liner. "Full price. I have a reputation to uphold."

The griffonness slowly blinked, holding up eight bits in a single talon like a hand of cards. She slid a ninth in with her thumb. "Ten percent off."

The baker frowned.

"That a dissatisfied customer I hear?" Gunther turned around, flipping and catching his loaf. "You know, I have exactly the same thing he's selling, and am more than willing to be reasonable. Seven bits."

"That's less than I offered in the first place," the griffonness said, looking bored as she relieved him of the loaf and turned over seven coins. "You have yourself a deal."

The shopkeeper fumed, but the griffonness barely gave him a second look as she walked away. "Next time, you should run a better business model."

Gunther chuckled as he headed off in a separate direction, beckoning Gerardo and Slipstream to follow. "Heh. You don't even need to buy anything for me to make money off you. Maybe I should pay you to stick around a while longer... Too many griffons get light-headed when they smell a rich customer."

"Not going to lie, that was kind of brutal." Slipstream folded her ears.

"You don't seem to have a very high standard of treatment for your fellow griffons," Gerardo remarked.

"Correction: I don't have a high standard of treatment for anyone who will lose me money." Gunther strolled into an alley, lovingly stroking his pockets. "There are the griffons who play the game, and then the ones who see others playing and want to join in, even though they belong at home. He wasn't going to benefit from your money, so try not to feel too bad for him."

Slipstream frowned. "From the condition his storefront was in, he might have needed it to survive. Those prices were exorbitant, but still..."

"Hey, I gave him a sale!" Gunther shrugged with his wings, a note of exasperation creeping into his voice. "If anyone cared about actually spending their money on a higher quality of life, or even put as much effort into the rest of their lives as they did into getting rich, the place wouldn't be such a dump. But it's been every griffon for themselves in this world for years and years, and no one thinks about a thing other than having more money than everyone else."

Gerardo gave him a look. "And that includes you, I take it."

"Why wouldn't it?" Gunther flipped upside-down, resuming his tail hanging from an exposed, jutting rafter. "It's a game I'm good at, and there's no point in winning at something nobody plays."

"So what do you mean, for years and years?" Slipstream sighed. "Was it not always like this?"

Gunther extended a feather.

"You are deviously good at this, indeed." Gerardo shook his head, paying up.

Gunther pocketed it with satisfaction. "Everyone says it was different. I find it hard to believe. Twenty, thirty years ago, there was a king up in the castle at the top of the mountain. Then some things happened that everyone will give you a different story on. Some say monsters invaded, others say there was a war. I think the king got what he could while the getting was good, took his retainers and ran. Now the castle's got nothing but squatters who are too cheap to build their own houses... though I shouldn't be talking."

Gerardo raised an eyebrow. "This king wouldn't happen to be called the Forest King, would he?"

Gunther looked at him with interest. "Where'd you hear a name like that?"

Slipstream started to open her mouth... until Gerardo silenced her with a wing, a little smile playing on his beak. "Actually, I think that's the kind of information that might be valuable enough for us to sell back."

"Oh, really?" Gunther appraised him critically and thoroughly. "...Eh, I'll pass. Probably not much you could tell me about the Forest King, anyway."

Gerardo frowned. "If this is something important, we would appreciate a primer..."

Gunther held out a feather.

Gerardo flipped him a coin with an exasperated sigh. "How are you so good at this?"

"Like I told you before, information is a commodity." Gunther pocketed it with nonchalance. "Any time you're looking for something that can be sold, you're asking to be swindled. All I want is money, so I don't have my greed competing with a thirst for products to undermine it." He swung lightly on the rafter. "The Forest King is the old king... or maybe the prince, or the prince's prince. They say he and his retainers ran off to live in the forest to the northeast, after whatever happened. Whether it's true or not, nobody here cares enough to investigate, and it's likely the same for them."

"Hmmm..." Slipstream rubbed her chin.

"So, I'm guessing the next thing on your list is lodging, right?" Gunther glanced at the sky, where stars were just beginning to become visible. "Then keep trying to get food tomorrow. How many mouths are you trying to feed?"

Slipstream nodded. "I think we need it, yeah... And how did you know we needed it for others?"

"I didn't. But thank you for telling me." Gunther swung again. "You know, we've been friendly enough so far that I'd be willing to make you a deal."

Gerardo watched him. "Explain?"

"Your money." Gunther pointed at the saddlebags. "Give me all of it, and by dawn I'll have you a far better food deal than you're going to get on your own."

Slipstream hesitated. "All of it?"

"Sure." Gunther shrugged. "Only a fool would risk going broke on a guy like me, so I'm willing to wager that if you accept, it means you have more back where your friends are. And I'm also willing to bet on my own talent I can come back with enough that you'll need some extra shoulders to carry it all home. I'm smelling potential for involvement in something long-term lucrative, if you know what I mean."

"And we have your word that you won't rob us or rip us off?" Gerardo raised an eyebrow. "I'm aware you just told us stealing was pointless, but this is hardly an insignificant amount of money..."

Gunther eyed the saddlebags. "I said what I said. And I'm betting that's not all you have. Only a fool wouldn't leave some somewhere safe if they were worried about brigands. We're talking at least six saddlebags stuffed with good-quality food, here..."

"And you'll need the money up front," Slipstream sighed.

"It's a rare griffon who takes credit."

Gerardo hesitated slightly longer... and stuck out a talon, shrugging off his bags. "We need the aid, and you've read us correctly. I hope I'm reading you right in return."

"Thanks." Gunther flipped upright, taking the saddlebags for himself. "This is going to be worth your while..."

Comments

[Phoenix Kitten]

and suddenly they have no money.

[alamais]

[ponepony]

They're going to get stuck here for 50 more chapters aren't they?

[Zapdroid]

This will turn out to be an excellent investment I’m sure. What could possibly go wrong?

[RoboRed]

it's a trap

[Venlinelle]

"That a dissatisfied customer I hear?" Gunther turned around, flipping and catching his loaf. "You know, I have exactly the same thing he's selling, and am more than willing to be reasonable. Seven bits."

Everyone in this town is insane. I love it.

[sploopy slooder]

as much as id worry about this being a trap i dont really see the point. worst case they lose the money i guess.